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Wnt Pathway
The Wnt signaling pathway describes a network of proteins most well known for
their roles in embryogenesis and cancer, but also involved in normal physiological
processes in adult animals.
The name Wnt was coined as a combination of Wg (wingless) and Int and can be
pronounced as 'wint'. The wingless gene had originally been identified as a
recessive mutation affecting wing and haltere development in Drosophila
melanogaster. It was subsequently characterized as segment polarity gene
in Drosophila melanogaster that functions during embryogenesis and also during
adult limb formation during metamorphosis. The INT genes were originally
identified as vertebrate genes near several integration sites of mouse mammary
tumor virus called MMTV. The Int-1 gene and the wingless gene were found to
be homologous, with a common evolutionary origin evidenced by similar amino
acid sequences of their encoded proteins.
Mutations of the wingless gene in the fruit fly were found in wingless flies, while
tumors caused by MMTV were found to have copies of the virus integrated into
the genome forcing overproduction of one of several Wnt genes.